Bipod broke my stock!!! Ever seen this?

[rammac]

A word of caution? You mean that people should follow the manufacturer's instructions?

Kevlar is designed to not flex, a lightweight kevlar stock would be more brittle than stocks made from other materials. Your situation was probably about as bad as you could imagine. My guess is that you preload your bipod pretty heavily, that puts a lot force on the mounting holes. Add to that the recoil force of a heavy magnum and the fact that you were shooting from an inflexible concrete bench top and you've just created just about as much force on that mounting point as is possible. This is just another physics lesson. It is similar to the concentration of forces created when you put the butt of a rifle against a concrete wall when you fire it, it will shatter the stock in the skinniest spot around the handgrip.

 

[naja302]

I did not know that the manufacturer recommended against bipod use until they called me today to tell me (after I sent them the pictures. I certainly wouldn't buy a gun that you can't use a bipod on...except maybe a lever gun.

I think I can appreciate the physics but I actually do not preload my bipod at all...something I've always thought was a fault of mine but not one I've ever cared to correct.

Now here's the crazy in me...I'm gonna probably just re-install my pic rail 3 inches farther back and just smooth over the broken front of the stock with some epoxy and still use it as my super lightweight backpack gun.

no sense in paying another $600 or so for a new stock....that I still can't put a bipod on

 

[HARPERC]

naja302 I appreciate you putting this out there for discussion, as well as the way you've presented the info to this point.

 

[naja302]

Now you guys are making me curious...I'm gonna go read the manual and see if the recommendation against bipod use is actually a "written" one

 

[Rick Richard]

I did not know that the manufacturer recommended against bipod use until they called me today to tell me (after I sent them the pictures. I certainly wouldn't buy a gun that you can't use a bipod on...except maybe a lever gun.

I think I can appreciate the physics but I actually do not preload my bipod at all...something I've always thought was a fault of mine but not one I've ever cared to correct.

Now here's the crazy in me...I'm gonna probably just re-install my pic rail 3 inches farther back and just smooth over the broken front of the stock with some epoxy and still use it as my super lightweight backpack gun.

no sense in paying another $600 or so for a new stock....that I still can't put a bipod on

When you receive lemons then make lemonade.

 

[naja302]

The whole point of this one is to be light so I guess I shaved off a few more ounces

 

[FEENIX]

MG!

 

[TheBoctor]

What's the gun weigh? That's wild. Can't believe anything you'd build on a lightweight stock like that would put enough stress on it to break like that.

 

[naja302]

7 lbs exactly with scope

 

[YZ-80]

I'd rather see a compound fracture. I'm sorry, OP but admire that you've resolved to look on the bright side. It's even more free-floated now!

-YZ

 

[Dr. Vette]

I suspect you could epoxy it back together and it would work. You might still move the screw back a bit.

 

[Gone Ballistic]

Over bore your hole 3 times the width of the screw insert and fill the hole in with epoxy and fiberglass mesh cut into round circles the size of the hole. About 4 should do it. Then, saturate the mesh rings and insert inside the hole incrementally placing a dab of epoxy and a round of the mesh until the hole is full and epoxy is even with the stock. Let cure for 48 hours minimum and drill a new hole that fits the insert. Place a little epoxy on the outside of the insert and place it in the hole. Then 48 hours later mount the bipod.
It was easy to see there is no structural integrity where you drilled the hole.
Because this is an ultralight stock you should not mount anything that changes structural integrity, which is what you did in this case.

 

[VLD Pilot]

I suspect you could epoxy it back together and it would work. You might still move the screw back a bit.

Doubt epoxy would adhere to the foam center. Very porous and unlikely to hold. Maybe fit an aluminum rod into both (broke off end and remaining stock) and epoxy the rod in and try using some kind of fiberglass resin to connect the stock at the break. Never know. Could work.

 

[naja302]

Ok... I read the owner's manual...wow, painful.

the word "bipod" isn't in that book and the only stock care instructions are in regards to their wood stock guns.

there is nothing specific to this gun in the manual, it's a typical overview manual covering several models. I don't believe that I should have known not to use a bipod.

anyway makes me nervous cause lightweight CF stocks have been becoming prevalent in my safe lately

although the McMillan, Manners etc that I have are still bigger and bulkier With larger barrel channels etc...so hopefully stronger...but those guns are heavier too